OSF Equine Bodywork

09/18/2024

Such a beautiful facility and fun group! Definitely check them out this weekend and see the bison demonstrations!

Training, showing, lessons and clinics specializing in western performance and versatility ranch horses.

09/18/2024

❤️

09/09/2024

🌈 Today is National Pet Memorial Day, celebrated every year on the second Sunday in September. Andy Scott and I have been so blessed by many wonderful pets. If only we didn’t have to say goodbye. 🌈

08/18/2024

True story - I went out to NC Friday to ride my new boy Sawyer. We had a great ride! After he cooled off I decided to run my hands over him and see if he had any muscle tightness or sore spots. His neck was tight and he had a lot of opinions on me working it (tossing his head up and down, shuffling side to side), but he eventually settled. Saturday morning I went to ride him again and wow. What was great turned became awesome! He was much softer and more relaxed in the way he carried himself. The biggest difference came when I ran my hands over him again - much loser in his neck and definitely much more comfortable with me working on him. 🙂

06/23/2024

Horses let you know what is working! Licking/chewing, stretching, and my most favorite - the soft, quiet, tired eye. 🙂

05/25/2024

Reach out for all your horse’s bodywork needs! Specialize in equine massage, kinesiology taping, and neuro-myofascial release! Available weekends and evenings on week days (local area only). Message me for an appointment!

04/27/2024

So excited to sponsor the Limited Amateur Ranch Reining classes for this show series!

04/23/2024

The ECSHA puts on a great show! If you love versatility ranch horse events (or want to learn more about them) you should definitely check them out!

As a passionate horse enthusiast, owner, and competitor I am dedicated to helping you and your horse!

04/11/2024

This how we like to spend our weekends! :-) If I’m not massaging horses, I’m having fun in the pen with my bestest boy!

04/11/2024

Poor Bonnie!!! She got fixed this week and is now carried around like this (just for the next few days).

03/19/2024

Be sure to check this out! It’s this weekend! If I wasn’t horse showing I’d be there!!!!

Join us for a day of Equine Education! The Virginia Horse Council will be hosting their 2024 Educational Seminar & Annual Meeting on Saturday, March 23rd at Piedmont Virginia Community College. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn about a variety of equine-related subjects, including equine healthcare, Virginia trails, and equine welfare & law. Our Equestrian Recruitment Specialist, Odessa Thacker, will be speaking about all that Virginia offers in Horses & Higher Education- you don’t want to miss this! Registration is open now at virginiahorsecouncil.org! 🐴

03/13/2024

Excellent opportunity for equine education! Registration is open!

Join us for a day of Equine Education! The Virginia Horse Council will be hosting their 2024 Educational Seminar & Annual Meeting on Saturday, March 23rd at Piedmont Virginia Community College. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn about a variety of equine-related subjects, including equine healthcare, Virginia trails, and equine welfare & law. Our Equestrian Recruitment Specialist, Odessa Thacker, will be speaking about all that Virginia offers in Horses & Higher Education- you don’t want to miss this! Registration is open now at virginiahorsecouncil.org! 🐴

01/26/2024

Happy birds!

01/24/2024

Did you know your horse can benefit from the same kinesiology tape human athletes use? Kinesiology tape can help with muscle soreness and muscle relaxation, joint stability, and when applied properly it can reduce swelling.

Book your Equine Kinesiology Taping Session today! $30 per session, $15 if booked with an to equine massage session!

01/20/2024

Cold. Cold. Cold outside.

FUN FACT FRIDAY! Are you familiar with the many adaptations that help your horse stay warm during the cold winter months?

🌾 Hindgut digestion of hay produces the most heat, acting as a small furnace inside of the horse. This is why free choice, good quality hay is so important in the winter.

💪 Horses have a huge muscle mass and muscle activity produces heat. This includes running and playing and even shivering if their body temperature starts to drop. It is important to remember that these activities also will result in a bigger caloric demand so free choice hay and in some cases, grain, is often needed.

🧥 To blanket or not to blanket is a constant debate but either way, as it starts to get cold your horse will grow a thicker coat. If you decide to leave your horse unblanketed you may notice that they look “fluffy”. This is due to a phenomenon called piloerection where the hair stands up to better trap air within. Two layers of the coat also help with warmth. The inner layer is softer and has air pockets to create an insulating layer. The outer layer is coarse and has oils that keep moisture from penetrating the insulating layer and keep the horse warm.

⚖️ Wild horses go into the winter heavier than ideal and the fat serves as an extra layer of insulation. However, if a horse is going to be kept heavily blanketed and in a barn during the cold weather months this is unnecessary and can lead to obesity related issues.

🦵Their distal limbs (below the knees and hocks) are made of mostly bones and tendons, tissues that are resistant to the cold temperatures.

🦶The hooves have an alternative route of blood circulation through larger vessels that can be used in low temperatures. This is why horses can stand in snow without detrimental effects.

👃A horse’s nose has a robust blood supply and is rounded so that it is less susceptible to frostbite than a human’s nose.
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Courtesy of the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee

01/17/2024

What does an equine massage session consist of? A thorough stress point evaluation to determine areas of soreness and a range of motion evaluation (~10 min). The information gained during these evaluations will determine focus areas for the massage. The massage begins with effleurage strokes, these are relaxing strokes that will be used to warm up your horses’ muscles and help get the blood flowing. This is also my opportunity to get to know your horse and help them relax (~10 min)! The bulk of the session is spent using a variety of massage strokes (compression, kneading, muscle wringing, tapotement, etc.) primarily in the areas identified during the stress point evaluation to help work out knots, soreness, and tightness (~35 min). The session ends effleurage strokes to help increase circulation post-massage (~5 min). As the client you will receive a detailed report via email on what was discovered during the stress point and range of motion evaluations, how your horse reacted while I was working on him/her (particularly focused on moments of tension release), and recommendations for future sessions or therapies.

09/30/2023

09/23/2023

Guess what!?!? Just turned in my case studies for certification in Animal Neuro-myofascial Release (ANMR). ANMR is a form of therapy that focuses on the nervous and musculoskeletal systems of animals and is designed to improve the overall functioning of these systems (which can help to reduce pain, improve mobility, and increase performance). I have seen some truly amazing results with this therapy in my case studies and will be adding it to my list of services soon!